Canada is home to many of the major mining companies, with reports of around 75% of the world’s mining companies being based in Canada. The mining industry in Canada is a massive one that offers a diverse selection of jobs for those in mining, and is one of Canada’s most important economic sectors.

Canada’s numerous mining companies are a major supplier of jobs for Canadians. With 57% of the world’s public mining companies listed on the TSX and TSX-Venture exchanges as of 2013, and 75% of the worlds mining companies headquartered in Canada, the Canadian mining industry has earned itself a reputation as a global mining super power. There are approximately 375,000 people living in Canada who are working in the mining and mineral process industry, many of whom earn extremely lucrative salaries

Canada is also one of the largest mining supply sectors globally with more than 2,700 companies supplying engineering, geotechnical, environmental, financial and other services to the various mining operations. Many of the largest mining companies in the world are headquartered in Canada.

So what are the top 10 mining companies in Canada? – (according to the Canadian Mining Journal)

1. Agrium Inc. ($16,198.8 million)
Agrium Inc. is headquartered in Calgary and is a retail supplier of agricultural products and services in both North and South America as well as in Australia. The company provides nitrogen based fertilizers; sulphur’s and phosphate based fertilizers and is the leading global agricultural solutions provider. Although many of their nitrogen, phosphate and potash crop nutrients are used for agricultural purposes approximately 14 percent of these sales go to industrial applications.

2. Barrick Gold ($12,886.3 million)
Barrick Gold Corporation is the largest gold mining company in the world with its headquarters based in Toronto in Canada. Barrick Gold is currently undertaking mining projects in Canada, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Saudi Arabia, the Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea, the USA and Zambia. More than 75% of Barricks gold production comes from the Americas region. The company was founded in 1983 by Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Peter Munk.

3. Suncor Energy ($12,294.0 million)
Suncor Energy is based in Calgary and specializes in the production of synthetic crude from the oil sands. Suncor Canada is one of the largest producers of synthetic crude oil from the oil sands and is located just outside of Fort McMurray. It is Canada’s premier integrated energy company and the fifth largest North American energy company and has a reputation on the global stage as one of the largest independent energy companies in the world.

4. Syncrude Canada ($11,445.8 million)
Syncrude Canada based in Fort McMurray, Alberta, is one of the largest oil sands companies in Alberta, with a 50 year history of innovation. Syncrude is one of the largest producers of crude oil from the oil sands and its crude oil production facility has the capacity to produce around 15% of Canadas total oil requirements.

5. Teck Resources ($9,382.0 million)
Teck Resources Limited is a Canadian metals and mining company; it is also Canada’s largest diversified resource company with operations and projects in Canada, the United States, Chile and Peru. Teck resources business units focus on copper, zinc, steelmaking coal and energy.

6. PotashCorp ($7,524.2 million)
PotashCorp is a Canadian corporation based in Saskatoon. PotashCorp is the world’s largest fertilizer company by capacity and produces potash, nitrogen and phosphate. With operations and business interests in seven countries, PotashCorp is an international enterprise and a key player in helping feed the world.

7. Canadian Oil Sands ($4,208.0 million)
Canadian Oil Sands Limited of Calgary is a Canadian company that generates income from its oil sands investments in the Syncrude Joint Venture. Syncrude operates an oil sands facility and produces crude oil through the mining of oil sands from ore deposits in the Athabasca region of Alberta, Canada.

8. Kinross Gold ($3,892.9 million)
Kinross Gold is a Canadian based gold company with mines and projects in the United States, Brazil, Russia, Ghana, Chile, and Mauritania. It is one of the largest gold companies in the world, and the world’s largest gold companies and was formed after the amalgamation of three companies in 1993. Following a number of takeovers and mergers Kinross now owns nine active gold mines on four different continents.

9. Goldcorp ($3,797.6 million)
Goldcorp is a gold producer headquartered in Vancouver. It is also one of the world’s fastest growing senior gold producers, with operations and development projects located not only in Canada but around the world. Goldcorp employs more than 15,000 people worldwide. Goldcorp’s operating assets include mines in Canada, Mexico and Central and South America.

10. First Quantum ($3,659.5 million)
First Quantum Minerals Ltd. is a Vancouver-based mining and metals company whose principal activities include mineral exploration, development and mining. The company has assets in Zambia, Spain, Mauritania, Australia, Finland, Turkey, Panama, Argentina and Peru. First Quantum is a major producer of copper, nickel, gold and zinc.

So not only does Canada have a significant amount of natural resources, it is also home to some of the largest mining companies in the world, good news for mining job seekers in Canada.

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About Susan Kihn

Susan Kihn is a Mining Talent Expert at CareerMine. She has over 20 years’ experience in the recruitment industry, having worked for major companies in South Africa where she also ran her own successful recruitment business for many years.

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